FSU recruit Mario Edwards Jr. tweets that he's 'a 'Nole'

Top-rated defensive end from Texas ends recruitment process, wants to play at FSU

January 24, 2012|By Coley Harvey | Orlando Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE — As far as Mario Edwards, Jr. is concerned, the recruitment process is over.

He won't be an LSU Tiger, he won't be running out behind the Oklahoma Sooner Schooner. He'll be following in his dad's footsteps.

He's ready to be a "'Nole."

The defensive end from Denton, Texas made it known via Twitter on Monday night that he's shutting down his recruitment process and will sign with one program when next Wednesday's National Signing Day rolls around.

"It's official," he tweeted. "Ima Nole."

Hailed by ESPN and 247sports.com as the 2012 recruiting class' top-rated player, Edwards is a five-star defensive lineman who will come to Florida State with all the hype of a young player expected to make an immediate impact.

The 6-foot-4 end is pushing 300 pounds and may have the body of a defensive tackle, but he also has the quickness of a linebacker. His size, speed and strength have made him a valued commodity among this year's defensive recruits.

At FSU, he is set to join an already deep pool of defensive line talent. The entire line from this past season's team will return for the Seminoles, with junior Bjoern Werner and senior Brandon Jenkins anchoring the defensive end positions along with backups Cornelius "Tank" Carradine, Dan Hicks and Toshmon Stevens. Defensive tackles Timmy Jernigan, Everett Dawkins, Anthony McCloud, Moses McCray, Darious Cummings and Jacobbi McDaniel are all expected back, too. McCray, Cummings and McDaniel suffered season-ending injuries at various points during the season.

Also set to join Edwards are four other defensive line recruits. Five-star end from St. Petersburg, Dante Fowler, Jr. is one of them. Chris Casher (Mobile, Ala.), Justin Shanks (Pratville, Ala.) and Dalvon Stuckey (De Funiak Springs) are the others. Stuckey is the only defensive line recruit with less than four-star status, according to Rivals.com's rankings.

Where Edwards will play is a fluid matter. Because of his size, he may be more suited for the interior tackle positions. His quickness and experience playing off the edge make him a solid defensive end candidate, too. Since Jenkins' return makes it pretty clear that the defensive end rotation will be set in much the fashion it was last season, Edwards likely will begin his FSU career playing defensive tackle.

The name Mario Edwards may sound familiar to some Seminoles fans.

In the late 1990s, Edwards, Sr. played cornerback at FSU before getting drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He played four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before officially ending his career in 2005.

In addition to three players who have enrolled early and Edwards, the Seminoles have 12 others they are looking to sign next Wednesday.